diff --git a/core/archipelago/src/mesh/flash.rs b/core/archipelago/src/mesh/flash.rs
index 31eaf1ce..229dcf93 100644
--- a/core/archipelago/src/mesh/flash.rs
+++ b/core/archipelago/src/mesh/flash.rs
@@ -838,7 +838,23 @@ async fn run_streamed(mut cmd: Command, stdin: Option<Vec<u8>>, job: &Arc<FlashJ
         let _ = t.await;
     }
     if !status.success() {
-        anyhow::bail!("Command exited with {status}");
+        // Exit status alone isn't diagnosable — the actual esptool/rnodeconf
+        // stderr (already captured into job.log_tail by the reader tasks
+        // above) is what actually explains a failure. Confirmed live
+        // 2026-07-23: a bare "Command exited with exit status: 1" told us
+        // nothing when esptool's real error was sitting in the log tail the
+        // whole time, only visible via the UI's live poll, not journald.
+        let tail: Vec<String> = job
+            .snapshot()
+            .await
+            .log_tail
+            .iter()
+            .rev()
+            .take(10)
+            .rev()
+            .cloned()
+            .collect();
+        anyhow::bail!("Command exited with {status}\n{}", tail.join("\n"));
     }
     Ok(())
 }